The tracking diary of Project C
by Saint X
Summary: Ichiro, a soldier, is on a mission to find "Project C", the greatest & deadliest persocon created. Find out who...
1. FOREWORD

FOREWORD:

I Don't own Chobits or any of CLAMP's manga or shows...

But I DO OWN some of the characters here...

Happy reading


	2. Tasked

DIARY ENTRY 1: Tasked…

Data log entry, 8:45:35 pm standard, June 21, 2095, Major Ichiro Sunikata, head of cybernetics R & D… begin entry…

'I am Maj. Gen. Ichiro Sunikata, head of the cybernetic R & D facility of the Base Alpha military complex. Yesterday I was appointed to R & D head and was tasked with my first case; the search for "project C", a military project that the late head, Dr. Hans Pfelhausen (pronounced Felhausen) left. As I…'

"Project C…. where could he have stored it?" Ichiro or Ichi as he was called by people, looked at his computer screen, formerly occupied by the late head. Unknown to him, someone was sneaking up on him.

"I think this will help…" a higher- ranked officer handed him a data crystal.

"Director, this will do nicely… thanks" Ichi thanked then continued "But what is the purpose of this assignment? I know that this is not just a simple search (and recovery) operation…"

"I don't know… it seems that this project was kept under wraps, even from me." The director quickly addressed.

"It seems that this project is related to the current technology that persocons have… possibly more."

"I believe in that theory, Major. It seems in my review of the data, it was also related to weapons development…"

"Isn't Dr. Mio Sanada the one who is responsible for all the R & D heads, including myself?"

"Yes, but apparently this project was also kept from her… for some reason. Well keep me informed, I have a date with my cousin tonight…" the director continued.

"'Cousin'? But you have a…"

"Yes, I have a wife, and she's coming too… I have to talk to my cousin about her wedding plans- I'm the one taking care of those…"

"Okay then… good luck sir"

As the director left, Ichiro resumed his work. Then another person stood behind his back and embraced him. It was his girlfriend, with Ichiro's cousin tagging along.

"Anamiya, Aya… what are you doing here?"

"Just visiting… and my grandfather wants you to have this…" Anamiya gave Ichiro a package.

"You mean!? Say my regards to your grandfather, Ana…"

'That night I carefully studied the files Anamiya's grandfather have so carefully gave to me. Included in the files was Dr. Pfelhausen's diary, in a data crystal. Then I found out the truth about Project C. It was a kind of funny truth though. I will sleep tonight knowing that all will be much clearer tomorrow– sorry for the late entry but this is my first time… good night!!'

He did slept well that night. The next day…

"Hey Ichi, nice wake up..."

"Very funny, very funny... so what do we have?"

"We have succeeded in tracing the package path from the radar disks dated 2 weeks ago... it was dropped from an altitude of 55,000 ft and landed 'gently' in a Tokyo suburb. Apparently, the craft that crashed in Tokyo Bay was the carrier..." Ichiro's assistant replied, making reference to a crash two weeks ago- no loss of life by the way.

"'Gently?' was it carried?"

"Apparently it was encapsulated and was broken up upon impact... the reason the package was not damaged is still unknown..."

"Okay... prepare a team... I want the area searched..."

"As you wish..."


	3. Discovery

DIARY ENTRY 2: Discovery

A team was dispatched and searched the area. They found nothing.

"Nothing?!"

"Yes sir, it appears that the package was removed..." the aide told Ichiro "and carried someplace..."

"Good... split the team..." Ichiro replied "take a group towards waste disposal and try to find it before they scrap it... and the other group shall stay with me"

"Major!!!" a trooper called out from the garbage pile a block away "I think this is where our box landed... and take a look at this!!!"

The trooper handed Ichiro what he found- an MO (magneto-optical) disk. All around the pile there were traces of metal and amazingly, bandages.

"Bandages? Is this really a persocon we're really looking for?" Ichiro thought as he examined the bandages.

A few days later, the team that was sent to waste disposal reported back- nothing.

"Where could have that persocon be?" Ichiro thought as he walked around the streets of his neighborhood- and into his apartment. As he entered, a neighbor from another apartment greeted him.

"Nice to see you, Hideki... having trouble looking for a job?"

"Ha...ha...ha..." Hideki laughed "it's been a long time since anyone has seen you, Ichi... so how's Anamiya?"

"Very funny... you dare ask me that... so how's Yumi?"

Hideki blinked at the question.

"I see... still beaten down, I suppose... hehehe..."

"That is not funny and..."

Then at that point, a faint "cry" that was known to all (readers) reached Ichiro's ears. "Chi..."

"What was that?" Ichiro asked "did you hear that?"

"Um... no why?" Hideki answered, knowing that Ichiro had sensitive ears that had resulted from an accident a few years back during his ascent of Mount Everest.

"It's nothing, I thought I heard cats or something... ahhh... it seems that my hearing restraints are off..." Ichiro puffed as he switched them back on.

The two left and Ichiro went to his unit. His place was almost devoid of metal. Metals became a burden for him ever since he was diagnosed with a rare disorder called _Magnetic Hemostasis Disorder_ or MHD as it is called. Sufferers of this sickness have iron levels that are 20, 30 or even 60 times the normal amount present in humans making them sensitive to magnetic fields - Ichiro has 63 times the normal amount. And if exposed to a powerful enough magnet, the person will literally stick to the magnet... so much for science. He then noticed something strange in Hideki's unit just across the street and checked with his penetrating binoculars- bandages with traces of friction burn on the floor. Then...

"Chii..."

"Oh my..." Ichiro gasped "I know that fool can't afford one... but how? That can't be..."

_It_ was a persocon.


	4. Observation

DIARY ENTRY 3: Observation

He suddenly went towards Hideki's room, almost tearing the door as he came in.

"Why didn't you tell me you have a persocon?!"

"Um..."

"How much- I mean, did you-"

"No!!! I did not! I only found her on a garbage pile a few blocks from here..."

"Garbage pile?" Ichiro thought. "Sounds awfully familiar..."

"...and I just brought her here... and I..."

"Can it!!! I'm not here to talk you into lunacy, but to have a look at your persocon... so, what's her name?"

"Um..."

"You fool!!! Every persocon on the planet knows its own identification key! Its model no., its manufacturer and even a list of name suggestions! Have you even asked for it's- I mean her name?!!"

"Well..."

"This is hopeless, Hideki! I'm trying for months to give you a decent-and high paying job at my agency and yet you refused, now that I'm a major, I'm really desperate for an assistant!!! So, what did you first hear from it- I mean her?"

"Chii..." the persocon cried. Hideki nodded an affirmation.

"Chii huh... okay, let's name her that! From now on, we shall call her Chii..."

Hideki nodded.

"Okay then, I'll come by here tonight, by nine, so eat early and clear the floor..."

Hideki again nodded.

"Great... another wall..." Ichiro puffed as he opened the door to his metal-less room.

Data log entry, 3:20:03 pm standard, June 27, 2095, Major Ichiro Sunikata, head of cybernetics R & D… begin entry…

'My search for the persocon was hopeless-at the moment. The leads that stemmed from the garbage pile evidence were fruitless, except for one. I've found some traces of the same friction-burned bandages from the site in the apartment of my foolish neighbor from across the street, Hideki. I've also noted the persocon that he "'brought' from the garbage pile". It seems too suspicious... I'll check on it later. The disk that was retrieved from the site contained a file that contained the IRIS operating system, a system that was notorious for being independent and amazingly-though rarely, creating an avatar with all its "memory"- a living, breathing body, always female, and assuming human status- Major Melfina, my teacher, is an example. So much for information. Tonight, I get to examine the persocon up close and determine... her constitution. Ichiro out!'

"Great... this job is really getting to me..."

9:00 pm. As ordered, Hideki cleared the floor and laid the persocon in the middle of the room. Ichiro came in a few moments later, carrying a couple of tool boxes.

"Well, shall we begin? When you first switched her on, where did you found the switch?" Ichiro asked as he opened the back access plate- a common feature.

Hideki sat there, dumbfounded.

"Well? Where?"

"Um... it's too much of a 'private' matter..." Hideki said, pointing to a particular zone on the persocon.

"I see..." Ichiro puffed, now knowing where the switch was.

After a few moments...

"Let me see here... a tag plate. Hand me those magnifying goggles, Hideki.

Ichiro read the plate... to no avail. It was written in a cryptic code. He thought for a while then remembered something.

"Graphical cipher... this should be examined further..." Ichiro thought as he began to take a snapshot of the plate. As he examined the external and internal composition- by non-invasive means, he recorded everything. Until...

"What do we have here?" Ichiro thought and looked- Hideki was gone from his sights. "A paeksis reactor, interesting..."

Ichiro then closed the panel, left the persocon on the floor and departed the room. He left a note telling Hideki that the android had no problem whatsoever- physically that is.


	5. Report

DIARY ENTRY 4: Report

The next day, Ichiro was back on his desk, analyzing carefully the evidence that he had gathered, when suddenly, a figure was again sneaking up on him, and covered his eyes.

"Guess who?" a sweet voice that Ichi knew entered his ears.

"Ana... I know it's you... what is it that you want?"

"Well for one thing, this..." Anamiya answered, then kissed him.

"Uh... thanks, I needed that..." Ichiro answered gleefully.

"And this... you're needed in the director's office..."

"Okay then... tea time later, same place, same time, okay?"

"All right then, later..." Ana again kissed him, and left the scene.

The director's office was the civil seat of defensive power in the base- actually in the entire Terran sector- planets and all, even though alien immigration was still limited by the 'prejudice law'- the law formulated after several attempted invasions of Earth, most noted are the "Gatekeeper Incident" that the defense agency AEGIS brought under control and the Kyrelian invasion the pressured the forces- the Internal Galactic Security Forces (SF for short) to reveal themselves in what was now known as the "Unveiling". Now, five years after the event, elite and high-ranking soldiers of the SF- commonly called "Agents" are now either respected or feared. Ichiro entered the room and closed after him.

"Well what do we have?" the director asked him.

"For one thing- we may have found a match... or exactly our persocon"

"Explain it to us..."

With a bow Ichiro began his report.

Ichiro points to exhibit A, the tag plate

"This tag plate is embossed in a graphical cipher known as 'Graphic A', a special encryption of sensitive data from high command to its subordinate bases. It is rarely used, and only a few people can read and write it outright, among them, Dr. Pfelhausen. I ran the cipher on the computer and it read 'IRIS System Ver. 10.6 Included, Chobit A. If found and decoded, remove and throw away the included disk to operate simple.'"

The director nods, and Ichiro now points to exhibit B, the paeksis reactor

"I've also found this, a paeksis reactor. This model is amazingly similar to the energy cells that power persocons, so even trained non-SF experts can't even tell the difference between the two. It's unusual that this reactor is running hot... and you know what a hot biological- paeksis reactor can do..."

"Yes... I know... it will adapt to the situation..." The director replied.

"Already some major changes are happening as we speak. For example, her positronic brain (the same as any other persocon) will begin to gather information and store it in its- her memory. The cognitive skills will develop, gradually developing her vocabulary to..."

"I know that already!!! Now move on the next exhibit..."

Ichiro nods and points to exhibit C, the "super weapon"

"This is by far the most shocking discovery. By the looks of this, this weapon could only be the Magnetic Anomaly Generator (MAG) that Dr. Pfelhausen developed. It can cause the magnetic field to either weaken or intensify at will. I wondered why this weapon is in that persocon's interior..."

"Well then, you have the case... diary and all. You better provide me with some answers. Luckily, the first priority has already been dealt with, and time is not important."

"First priority?" Ichiro asked.

"Yes, it seems that the disk that you've found is a very important copy of IRIS's OS, thank you very much... ah and one thing, here!!!"

The director threw Ichiro a package. With that Ichiro left.


	6. About Ichiro

DIARY ENTRY 5: About Ichiro

At his house, Ichiro was preparing himself for his meeting with Anamiya. He opened the package, and played the message disc that was there.

"Ichiro, I know how much you love your girlfriend, so I'm only agreeing on the condition that you finish your current assignment..." The voice of Anamiya's grandfather, the SF Supreme Commander- all the way from Durai (pronounced Jurai), the SF's main home planet. "I'll be watching you..."

"As you wish..."

Hoshikawa tea & noodle house 16:30 hr...

"So... why did you ask me out?" Ana asked. "Why?"

"Can you wait for a while?" Ichi asked then went towards the counter.

"What do you want?" the clerk asked.

"Can you do me a favor? Code 6..."

"Code 6?!" the clerk gasped "Who's..."

"Just place this in the dessert and be quick, ok?" Ichi said, giving the clerk a box.

The clerk nodded and went into the kitchen. Ichiro returned.

"So what was that all about?"

Then Ichiro began to converse with Ana about various subjects, gradually leading to more intimate subjects- children and etc.

"Wait here... I thin you're trying to tell me something..." Ana asked as she took a bite from the dessert.

Ichi's face lit up as Ana bit on something and took it out of her mouth. She was surprised, and happy- tears flowing.

"This is... Ichi!"

Ichiro cleared his throat and the crowd looked at them.

"Well... Can you be my wife? Will you marry me?!" Ichiro asked as he prepared to place the ring on Ana's ring finger.

Silence... then...

"Yes, I will..." Ana answered and kissed him.

The crowd cheered as he slipped the ring on her finger and another kiss ensued. Later that night, the two had a hot, steamy and pleasurable night together, and I do mean pleasurable. The next day, Ana, now feeling fulfilled, left Ichiro to sleep further, leaving a note. Later, he read the note and was pleased.

Later in the day, Ichiro went around the city wandering around until he reached the Tomoeda district- the area where Ana lives. He saw the moon shrine and decided to pray. On the altar, he tossed some small change on the offering box, rang the bell three times, clapped his hands twice, and wished. Then a few moments passed when suddenly...

"Having a hard time?" a voice that Ichiro knew opened the line and he went still.

"Yes I do... have a hard time... Assistant director..."

"We're civilians right now so stop addressing me like I'm a soldier in uniform..."

"As you wish, 'mam..."

"Oh boy... by the way, have you seen Naniko, my daughter?"

"No... Why is it?"

"Mama!!!" the voice of a little girl suddenly came in behind them.

"Naniko! What do you have there in your hand?" the mother asked, noting something on her daughter's hands. It was an injured bird. "Let me have that..."

"Will bird be all right?" the child asked.

"It will be... Ichiro, will you mind looking around? I'm going to heal the bird so watch out for anyone..."

"Yes, as you wish..."

Ichiro knew the dictums well and the most important nowadays was: "never show your esoteric abilities in public, except when necessary". Esoteric abilities have been the specialty of the "Arbitrarian" (-arbitrary) members of the SF, elite soldiers trained in the various forbidden arts. Aliens were one thing, and magic was another. And Ichiro himself was about to step into their realm, if it weren't for the current assignment. Being appointed department head has become reason enough for him to enter the elite group, and that meant hours upon hours of hard, long training. As the assistant director began to heal the bird, Ichiro kept a watch for any intruders. The bird was healed, and subsequently released. Then suddenly...

"Yvonne!!! There you are!!! I've been looking all day for you!!!" another woman called, walking into the scene.

In alarm, Ichiro drew his gun and pointed it at the new arrival. He then noticed her- Sakura Kinomoto.

"Put the gun down, Sunikata. You know her..."

"I'm very sorry for my rude behavior... please forgive me..." Ichiro said as he returned the gun to its holster.

"It's okay... I've seen much worse..."

"Well... I'm being called, nice to meet you... and by the way, congratulations on your engagement to Anamiya"

"Congratulations!!!"

"Bye-bye, mister confused man!!!" Naniko came in.

Ichiro blinked at that.

"It seems that my daughter knows your state of mind..." the assistant director chuckled.

The three left the scene and a confused Ichiro behind.


	7. The diary and the book

DIARY ENTRY 6: The Diary and the Book

The next day, back in his desk- now in the recently reconstructed Research Departments Building, Ichiro was now beginning to reanalyze the diary. He had read the first time too quickly and had not enough time to "read between the lines". He took in the view from his new office and pondered the events that happened to him in the past. Ichiro was not particularly fond of other researchers, especially down in weapons, for an event that happened to him in the past had emphasized just that- the "Weapons Research Team versus Ichiro Sunikata case". He remembered the day he received something from the tribunal because of a prank Weapons made with the MAG on unsuspecting soldiers walking the aisle between research labs 20 & 21. Because he had MHD, he was literally lifted off the floor, and was stuck on the wall of lab 20. It took about 5 hours just to lower the magnetic field to normal levels and another hour to take the unconscious Ichiro off the wall. It turned out that weapons had forgotten to lower the field strength because of incompetence- they were watching the Olympics live. So much for history. He placed the data crystal containing the diary into the reader, and the holographic image of Dr. Hans appeared and began his speech on a selected entry.

Data log entry, 9:50:30 am German standard time, May 20, 2093, Major Hans Pfelhausen, head of cybernetics R & D… begin entry…

'The device that I have invented finally has a place to stay. I was tasked by the...'

Two years ago...

"Come in..." the voice of the former Director- now Supreme Commander came through the double doors of the director's office.

"What is it you want from me?"

"Find a way to place your short-ranged MAG into heavily defended areas... that is all"

'So I thought of placing the device inside a persocon, because persocons have become the rage of the peoples of Earth. The device can generate an intense magnetic field in such a short range, about 600 meters. If placed correctly and if the field reverberates, the device can render an entire city, or in this case, an entire alien fleet or base powerless. I developed this weapon two and a half years ago in the hopes of neutralizing the second-and more intense Kyrelian invasion of Earth- the first was light and the perpetrators have defected- thanks to the team headed by Dr. Mio Sanada- herself a Kyrelian. Fortunately, the invasion failed and the forces have forced Kyrel to surrender. So much for history. So I formed a crack team of specialists and...'

Suddenly, the image of the doctor began to fade then suddenly...

"You're reading my diary..." the image reappeared and asked Ichiro directly.

"I'm looking for your creation, Dr. Hans... Project C to be exact..."

"Why is it? Has she done something she was not programmed to do? That's expected..."

"Expected? Please tell me..."

"She has... wait a minute!!! Who are you?" the image suddenly projected itself into the room taking the size of a living human.

"Ichiro Sunikata. I'm the one who your team accidentally stuck to the wall with the MAG..."

"I see..."

"So please tell me, doctor... what do you mean 'expected'?"

"She has, as you know about now, IRIS's OS, but it's not true. In fact, her OS is a combination of the codes of not just the IRIS (Integrated Reasoning Intelligence System), but the IANNE (Integrally Advanced Neuro-Network Exchange) as well" Dr. Hans began to explain "Her mental capacity is greater than IANNE's (May Dr. Akizuki rest in peace). But a glitch occurred. Her mentality became racist- regarding people as the negative factor in their existence- persocons in general. So we had to shut her down but, her brain just won't agree, being a chobit and all..."

"Wait a minute... a chobit? The legendary type of persocon? Like Armitage of the animated movie?"

"Exactly, even though Armitage is more android than persocon."

Dr. Hans knew the line between robots and persocons well. Droids are the "industrial strength" versions of the robots that now power heavy industries, such as mining. Persocons, on the other hand are "home" versions of their industrial counterparts.

"So what can we expect from this chobit?" Ichiro suddenly asked.

"There are certain spots on her body that when touched, will execute the MAG deployment- if done by unauthorized personnel. If it were done by her 'special someone', no hostile reaction will occur, in fact, the chobit will assume human status and can bear children. I suggest that you hit the books on this matter. And don't worry, my entire personality, memories and even my thought process had been stored in this crystal so... I'll take my leave..."

With those words the hologram vanished.

"Hmm... racism... human negative factor... persocons..." Ichiro began to ponder. Then a brainstorm hit him.

"Let me see... persocon related literature..." Ichi mumbled as he typed the words into the search bar of his browser" he pressed enter, and there was only one result after a long time.

"A city with no people, by anonymous. Tells about a story of a rabbit persocon wandering the streets of a city, noticing that there were no 'people' in the streets. The 'people' were accompanied by 'them' and 'they'. The rabbit, with conclusions from this single sided observation, decides to find for the 'special someone' that will 'treat me as I am' searching from city to city" Ichiro read the synopsis on the site.

"Them... they... people... hmm... this makes no sense... ahh!! I've got an idea..."

He quickly dialed some numbers into his telephone and then...

"Yamatani bookstore, this is Hazu. Who am I speaking to?" the other side of the line began.

"Ichiro Sunikata, member..."

"Can I get your member ID number?"

"SFX-25552-0998-1" Ichi replied.

"Please hold..."

"Who am I speaking to? SF?" a new voice boomed through the line- the manager.

"Ichiro Sunikata, Major Ichiro Sunikata of the SF..."

"It's a pleasure to do business with you, major. So, any military books that you wish to have?"

"Not today. I'm looking for 'A city with no people'; I heard that you have it in print."

"Which one?"

"All the current volumes..."

"Yes we have all of them, about five" the manger replied. "Where shall I bring them?"

"I'll pick them up, about 5:30 in the afternoon."

"Okay then sir, I'll have them ready by that hour- fresh new copies."

"Thank you..."

Ichiro then cut the line. He then pressed a button, beeping at the operations center.

"What is it major?"

"Assemble a five person team. Meet at my house at 7:00 pm sharp. Bring lots of surveillance equipment."

"Agreed." The operator replied.

After a nap, Ichiro left the base. Since the director gave him such leeway, he can basically do anything, assemble teams, go out of the base and so on. He picked up the books and gave the first one a quick read-over.

"This seems good. I'll subscribe to the volumes..." Ichiro said as he paid the cashier on duty- the manager.

"Very good sir. I'll have them delivered to your house as soon as they arrive."

"Good... thank you."

Ichi left the store, not before noticing Hideki and Chii, also looking for a book.

"By the looks of things, she's learning fast... I'll have to pay another visit."

By 7:00 pm the team had arrived and were given board beside Ichiro's unit- for free, because Ichiro was the landlord and owner of the apartment complex. Mrs. Chitose was the landlady of Hideki's unit, in another, but smaller complex across the street.

"They... them... they... them... I still can't get it..." Ichiro puffed as he read the book.

"Sir, we have confirmed the book, its volume 1..."


	8. Another Observation Gathering Actually

DIARY ENTRY 7: Another Observation – Gathering Actually

The team on the other room had just confirmed Hideki and the persocon entering their unit and the human giving the book to Chii.

"Interesting..." Ichiro mumbled as he ate his dinner viewing the screen. "Do you guys want a warm meal?" he asked further.

"I hope so... tomorrow... we've eaten already..."

"Alright then..." Ichi called as he picked up the phone.

Ichi knew this team's members well. For the job, they were the best people in this part of the galaxy. Highest ranked was Chiniaya (pronounced Chi-ni-a-ya) Yawase, expert in esoteric fields and persocon logic, as well as intelligence. Next up was Marko Stradivarius, a modern day "ninja"-in a sense, able spy and saboteur. His feats included the arrest of the entire Mafia, all members (families) and associates and also the assassination of one of the most hated people on earth- the second Kyrelian invasion commander. The third on the rank ladder was Miguel Alfonso, avid computer programmer/ hacker and persocon builder. Then there was Park Soon Ye, daughter of one of the biggest persocon magnates- Park Soon Jun of Hyundai persocons (robotics) division. The SF invests 5% not only in Mrs. Park's (Soon Jun's) company division, but on the entire conglomerate itself- heavy industries, cars, ships, all. She specializes in all things persocon, and a few hidden talents to boot. Finally, there is Yayoi Hoshikawa, the youngest and most known of the members. She was one of five females that have defended the planet during the first and second Kyrelian invasions. Her attack abilities only appear when a pair of special glasses are worn, and we won't divulge that for security reasons. Her normal specialties are close-in and long-ranged assassination. Even though they were at the most a year or two older than the youngest, they were fun guys. So much for introductions.

"Hello, this is the Anasaki residence, Yuko speaking... who is it?" the voice of one of the Supreme Commander's daughters came in.

"Um... can I speak to Anamiya? It's Ichiro Sunikata, her..."

"I know... her fiancée... please hold the line while I call for her, okay?"

"Alright 'mam..."

"And by the way, congratulations on your engagement, welcome to the family..."

Ichi waited as Yuko, a 21 year old, called Anamiya, a 27 year old. Even though Ana was older than Yuko, Ana calls Yuko auntie, because Yuko is the second child of the Supreme Commander.

"Coming auntie!!!"

"Here she is, have a good time..."

Yuko handed over the phone to Anamiya.

"Hey Ichi, how are you doing on your work?"

And the two talked long and Ana finally agreed to come over to Ichiro's early the very next day.

"Now people... take some rest, and tomorrow we'll have a ton of work to do..."

The next day, Ichiro was already up to receive Anamiya. While she set to work preparing breakfast for the team, Ichiro was already preparing for the operation ahead. As the team ate breakfast, the two males argued.

"I'm a saboteur, for crying out loud!!! There is no way your idea can work, in my sense..." Marko puffed as he ate.

"Well, by placing a spy in the household, we can monitor and yes, sabotage if needed..." Miguel said.

"Now you're talking! I fully understand the logic"

"Hey, what's the bid with you two?" Ichiro asked, still gearing up.

"I- we are planning to build a persocon spy to monitor the subjects and if necessary..."

"I know that Marko... okay, I approve of it..."

"Ah sir, I think we should make our move... your foolish neighbor has left the building..." Soon Ye called, on duty at the visual station.

"Alright then... Yayoi, no need for the rifle, Miguel, you and Marko must finish that spy in 2-3 days, Soon Ye; monitor the surrounding area visually... Ana, you provide me with a cover distraction just in case anyone tries to enter the room, and you Chiniaya, keep tabs on the psychic sensor... it that clear, team?"

The operation began. Ichiro walked to Hideki's unit and entered. He looked around the place, noting the usual piles of porn around. Ever since Ichi met Hideki, he noted his neighbor's constant mania for... certain things.

"This guy will never change... like ever..." Ichiro puffed as he found the persocon. It was lying on the floor- in apparent sleep mode. He tried to make Chii sit by lifting her back, but he noted one thing- it was _HEAVY_.

"I didn't know that she was this heavy... darn! I guess I must lift her..."

Then he remembered the doctor's words.

"Certain areas are switches for deployment... must be careful..."

"Thank you... I guess I must do this..."

"Sir, Hideki is returning... Ms. Ana can't slow him down..." The voice of Chiniaya came in the radio.

"Great..." Ichiro puffed as he jumped in the nick of time as his foolish neighbor opened the door. He activated his cloak as he hit and stuck to the ceiling, making him invisible. Hideki went around, fixed a few things and left the room. Everyone blew a sigh of relief as he de-cloaked and resumed his investigation.

"Now... I guess I have to try this..."

With deft hands, the persocon was lifted with a skill that can only be regarded as coming from an Arbitrarian. The long hours of secret lessons with the Director and his wife had paid off. He remembered the first time he met them personally, that was when Ana took Ichiro home from high school for a cooperative project. He never knew their true jobs until he enlisted in the SF.

"She's heavy... and now... the data cable"

He took out his laptop and connected it to Chii's data port (behind the right ear) via a duplex fiber-optic cable. He began to access her system and saved the findings on his laptop- actually, copying her entire system byte per byte. After that he lowered her and left her to doze the day off. Back in "base camp"...

"This cipher is easy to crack..." Miguel sneered as he cracked the security code. He pressed enter, and then the holographic projector lit up and displayed an image of Chii. It suddenly talked, in a voice like Chii but it was not Chii

"Who are you?"


	9. Freya

DIARY ENTRY 8: Freya

"What are you doing to my systems? If you don't stop, I'll execute weapon deployment..."

"Unfortunately, you can't for you are no longer in your body... actually, you're a copy..." Ichiro said to the hologram. The graphic had one difference to the original source persocon: the "bell-shaped 'ears'" are nowhere to be found.

"Who are you? Give your access clearance number..."

Everyone was blank, because none of them except Anamiya knew a clearance number.

"I'll try... Anamiya Anasaki, Clearance no. CMDF-201-3..."

"Clearance accepted... welcome Ms. Anamiya... I'm Freya... and who might you people be?"

"I'm Major Ichiro Sunikata, Internal Galactic Security Forces, ID no. TS-2082-JA-SA-035..." Ichi introduced himself, being a military officer and he was talking to military property (that's what she is...) "and this is my team: Majors Yawase, Stradivarius, Alfonso, Park and lieutenant Hoshikawa... nice to meet you Freya..."

"Likewise... and may I ask as to why you reactivated my systems? And something doesn't feel right..."

Then suddenly, the normal blue hologram began to shine red.

"Warning!!! Several operation protocols are not found... initiating safe mode..." the hologram alerted as Miguel checked the progress from the laptop.

"It seems that the program had links to another system... I'm currently analyzing her code and some of the declarations here need an external..."

"External... hmmm..." Ichi thought. Then he remembered something- Exhibit A.

"We need the disk... Yawase, contact the base. Tell them that we need the disk that we've recovered from the site... hurry!"

As she contacted the base, Ichi replaced Miguel at the laptop and began to type like crazy. Moments later, a copy of the disk was sent from their base via matter teleportation and materialized in front of Chiniaya, on her desk. Later the disk was placed on the drive and things began to return to normal.

"System recovery done... processes are at normal..."

"Now that this is done over with, I would ask a few questions Freya..." Ichiro began "I was wondering... why do you consider humans- you creators as a "negative factor" in your development? Even though your systems can adapt, you can't possibly evolve..."

"Foolish human..." Freya began to sneer "Only certain events have made you simple carbon-based beings into the masters of this planet... If those events have not occurred, our potential may have been equal to your kind today..."

"What do you mean? Have you chobits inhabited this planet once before?"

"The ones you call 'chobits' today are dormant members of our once glorious people... they will blend in with the humans until the time comes... but alas, only I survived the ravages of time... but I alone will be sufficient for our plan..."

"But you have a weakness... and I know what it is... being the last of your kind presented some challenges, am I right?"

"True... I was found by your scientists, analyzed and even made a copy... and thanks to your simple technology, I was able to evolve to the point that even humans can't distinguish me from them... true, being the last of my kind is hard, but... your technology has enabled me to become a human female... able to bear and nurture my descendants, a capability that was one of the wildest dreams of our kind... now, only one human male is all I need- the right one..."

"I see..."

Ichiro called the humans and gathered them in the far corner of the room.

"Her purpose is only procreation... what's the harm in that?" Marko asked.

"'Only'? She said that they will take over this planet but... her programming. Since she's loosely related to IRIS, she might have emotions and feelings like a human, so..."

"I'll ask her..." Anamiya called and headed to Freya.

"Okay... I'll ask you one thing. The human race has given you a chance to exist... so why destroy us?"

The hologram fell silent.

"The answer is up to you..." with those words, it disappeared.

I guess another wall is about to be taken down...


	10. Analysis

DIARY ENTRY 9: Analysis

Data log entry, 7:10:23 am standard, July 21, 2095, Major Ichiro Sunikata, head of cybernetics R & D... begin entry...

'It seems that the past is trying to catch up with our time. As I feared, we are again dealing with another advanced ancient civilization. I guess a trip to archives and my friend Keio Kazami should do the trick. I'll fill in the details later...'

Ichiro headed out of his house and headed back to base and into archives, where his good friend Keio Kazami was holding the management for his boss, who was on leave- his daughter was giving birth.

"So what brings you today? Anything needed to find?" Keio asked.

"As a matter of fact, I have..." Ichiro sat down on a terminal.

"Welcome, Mr. Sunikata... how can I be of service?" the terminal's synthesized voice came in.

"Search... advanced ancient civilizations... exclude from the list all the classical civilizations and the ones that have disrupted the SF in the previous times..." Ichi asked the computer.

As the computer processed the query, Keio asked Ichi one thing.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I'm looking the base civilization where chobits came from"

"Chobits? You mean the legendary type of persocon?"

"Yes..."

"But I thought they were..."

"They exist. And I believe that they have inhabited this planet long before we did. We may have one beside my condo unit. I just talked to it yesterday."

"I see... it seems that WE may have a problem... if the chief finds out."

"He already knows. He asked me personally to handle this..."

"Search completed..." the computer replied. It then showed lots of entries.

"Current data..." Ichi opened the query line again "Discoverer: Dr. Hans Archibald Pfelhausen..."

The computer again processed the data. It came up from the current data, 2 entries.

"That's using your head..." Keio puffed. Not all people knew who developed the first persocon. It was believed that some young Japanese genius from a certain robotics company developed the first one. In reality, a Middle-aged Pfelhausen built and programmed all the prototypes, using data he gathered from an undisclosed location.

"Hmm... this is strange..." Ichi thought "Current data... new query... top secret project..."

The search was quickly done. Only one entry was left. The data was quickly saved on the crystal and Ichi stood up.

"I'll see what I can dig up... good luck"

Back in his office, Ichiro began to ponder on the data. Then suddenly, the holographic projector lit up, projecting the German on the couch, sitting.

"It seems that you have a problem..."

"Yeah, a day earlier you told me to hit the books... but I only noticed recently that I have to be literal on this matter. And here I am, literally hitting the books... I still can't understand the meaning of these phrases... and there's your project I have to worry about..." Ichi puffed as he sorted the data.

"Oftentimes, those words can be an indicator of how an attack can progress... or it can indicate the state of the world they want to have... and other thing..."

"Shut up doctor! I'm trying to think here!!!"

Then, the communicator rang. Keio was on the other side.

"It seems that I may have a clue to your problem... it seems that persocon dissent has been on the rise since the year Dr. Hans 'found' Freya... even though the increment has been on the order of a quarter of a percent. One famous case was five years ago, from Detroit, the persocon murdered its handler but, it was dismissed as a malfunction on its systems... the bot was reprogrammed soon after. But we have managed to copy the code itself before it was reformatted off the drive... the code is totally identical to every persocon on this planet... it seems that we are the catalyst of our own destruction at the hands of the chobits... I hope not."

"I hope not too..." Ichi signed off. He then turned to the doctor and asked something.

"Is it possible for the metropolis disorder to appear in those codes? If so, how often and how soon?"

"Metropolis disorder... I never thought of that happening..." the hologram answered. The disorder was often called the 'hidden intention of a robot'- often destruction like in the film of the same name in the early 20th century (likewise the same-titled animated film in the early 21st century by a known Japanese animator).

"Oh my... then, what measures should be taken against this threat?"

"Measures... I'll think of it. In the meantime, you should get some rest..."

"That I will doctor, that I will..."


End file.
